Monday, November 28, 2016

So... Where have I been? I realise that I haven't blogged for a long time, basically since the beginning of November. I promise that I didn't abandon you guys, in fact I missed blogging! Basically, for the past 3-4 weeks, it's been exam period in the university I was at on exchanged. For the past 4 months, I was studying at the University of Western Australia, in Perth. I've never taken 4 university-level courses at once, so it was a lot of work for me, especially during exam time. In fact, since I finished Me Before You a few weeks ago, I haven't been able to pick up a book, just because of exams and spending some time with the friends I made on exchange.I'm calling it 'No-read November". I got back home in the Netherlands yesterday, and have a month off now! I now have more time to read, review and talk with you guys, for sure! I'll also be more able to visit your blogs now that I have some time for myself. I can't wait to see what you guys have been up to! :) I hope you guys are doing well! Have a great day!

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Hey all! So way back when my blog was practically brand new, I decided to do the Rip It or Ship It tag after I saw it on youtube. I talked about it recently with some friends and re-read what I wrote last year. I laughed so much that I just HAD to do it again! I have 30 pairings to go through! o.o I just started writing name after name until I had 60... oops! ^^

So how this works is you write down a bunch of character names on slips of paper, fold them up and draw two at random. If you want you can separate guys and girls (like I did this time), or just have one big lucky draw (Like I did last time). Then you decide whether or not to rip the pair, or ship them. Last time I included friendship. I don’t really want to do that this time, cuz it just made it all too easy. =p Just so you guys know, I take shipping seriously, both when reading and in real life. I’m not someone who with ship any two people who talk together, though. I need to ship with reason. So, without further ado, let’s do this! Get ready to cringe. Tamlin, from A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Laurel, from WingsOk. So they’re both fairies, in totally different ways. I had to think about this one a lot, but I think I have to rip them. Laurel is too sweet and Tamlin is too... aggressive? Amati, from Rebel of the Sands, and Jace from The Mortal InstrumentsOoooohhhh... this is an interesting one! Amati has a really strong personality, she’s determined but not emotionless. And Jace is so sassy... I kinda ship it! I think that even though they wouldn’t want to admit it, they’d be super adorable together! ^_^ Scorpius, from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Clarisse, from Percy Jackson. Hahaha no just no... Rip! Scorpius is such a childish adorable dork, perfect bully material for Clarisse. Poor kid... Harry Potter, from oh-gosh-i-don’t-know... and Celaena from Throne of GlassI... I don’t even know what to think about this. No... Just rip that. (Then again I heard that her character develops a lot. I only read the first two books so they might be shippable eventually?) Laia, from An Ember in the Ashes, and Albus, from Harry Potter and the cursed childOk so if they’re the same age, I honestly think that they would be cute together, but not in the shipping sense. This would be more in the brother-sisterly sense. So sorry but rip. Feyre, From A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Frodo Baggins from Lord of the ringsNOOOOOO HAHAHAHAH I can’t stop laughing!!! This should be a parody of some kind! Can you imagine them meeting?! Rip this to shreds but keep the idea for some parody collab mash thing! XD

Feyre watching Frodo like ^

Elias, from An Ember in the Ashes, and Katsa, from GracelingSHIP! Oh my gosh yes! They’re both so hardworking and fight for what they believe in, whether that be their own freedom or the freedom of others. Their personalities could work together so incredibly well, too! :3 Yes yes yes yes yes. Peeta and Katniss will always be my favorite but this could be amazing! Luna, from Harry Potter, and Will from The Infernal DevicesThe TID triangle is precious to me, so the fact that I put it in this kinda hurts, but hey, I had to. I’m actually very, very indecisive about this for some reason. Luna is awesome - she is smart and kinda weird and light. Will is considered by many in the book-world to be one of the most amazing male characters. I think they could maybe be cute, but I’m gonna say rip just because I think he’ll get really annoyed by her 'lightness' after a while. Jacob, from Miss Peregrine, and Natasha, from The Sun is Also a Star. I actually don’t know for this one. Natasha is super pragmatic and analytical and logic-oriented. And Jacob is also kind of like that and is really brave... I can’t decide. Tamani, from Wings, and Tessa, from The Infernal Devices. Oohhh... I can see this happening. Tam is adorable, protective, happy and certain. I feel like Tessa would like his certainty. Yes, ship this! Jin, from Rebel of the Sands, and Margo from Paper TownsRip this. It won’t work. Just no. Clary, from The Mortal Instruments, and Dumbledore from Harry PotterHaha well, this was unexpected! Rip, I don’t even think they would be able to stand each other! Lucien, from A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Hermione from Harry PotterHm... I think this could be interesting! I think they might infuriate each other at first, but might kind of fall together after a while! It could be cute! I kind of might just ship this! Voldemort, from Harry Potter, and Isabelle from The Mortal InstrumentsRip, obviously. BUT I think Izzy might be tempted to become a death eater? o.oSebastian, from The Mortal Instruments, and Mara from ExodusI’m not going to lie, I ship this more than I probably should! You have the hero and the antihero, and I can imagine them having a nice story together! Percy, from Percy Jackson, and Maximum from Maximum RideOh no, nuh-huh. They would hate each other! Rip! Po, from Graceling, and Ginny from Harry PotterI don’t think I can ship this... They’re so different, I can’t even imagine them in the same universe, to be honest... Rip. Peeta from The Hunger Games, and Eleanor from Eleanor and ParkI think that this could somewhat work! Not as well as Peeta with Katniss, but I still think that they could be potentially cute! Minor Ship?Gale from The Hunger Games, and Annabeth from Percy Jackson Ooohh... I don't actually think this would be all that bad...? I mean Percabeth wins every time, but I do think that they'd appreciate each other - they're both smart and are good at strategy-making. Ship! Grover from Percy Jackson, and Hazel from The Fault in our StarsOh goodness no Hazel would be so done with Grover after a few minutes. Rip!Park, from Eleanor and Park, and Kady from Illuminae I can't make up my mind for this one! Help me out? o.oJem, from The Infernal Devices, and Umbridge from Harry PotterHAHAHA NOOOOOO POOR JEM! I have such a soft spot for Jem, he's probably one of my favorite characters ever. I think Umbridge would bully him until he lost his mind! Rip to shreds, down to its atoms!Tris from Divergent, and Augustus from The Fault in our StarsOh gosh, this is so weird... I'm trying not to imagine them as the actors and the fact that in one movie they are together but in another, they're brother and sister... In general, I think they couldn't stand each other but it's still so strange! Rip!Simon from The Mortal Instruments, and Prim from The Hunger GamesI actually think that this could be cute! ^^ Do you agree? Ship! Cath from Fangirl, and Ron from Harry PotterYesss I think they could be super sweet together! Ship! Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Katniss from The Hunger GamesOooooohhhhhh I like this idea! I'd actually like to see a short story with them, to see how they would work together :) Ship? I had three left, and they were: Magnus Bane and Valentine, from The Mortal Instruments, and Mare from Red queen*Watch out for the train wreck!*I feel like Magnus and Valentine may have had some history. (No not like that! Like past encounters!) Maybe he accidently helped him rising to villainy? Mare would hate Valentine, I think, but would like Magnus in a friendly sense. Rip thisWell that was fun! :D It took forever to write but I love doing these! What did you think about my reactions? Would you ship anyone that I ripped? Rip anyone that I shipped? Let me know! Have a great day!

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Hey all! I just finished reading Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes! I mean legit read most of it in one sitting, sat there in feels, had lunch and came up to review it. The thing is, when you're a book reviewer/blogger, you know that there're three main types of reviews that are really difficult to write:

For books that you didn't like

For the second book in a series

For a book whose ending end so massive / impressive / crushing that the rest of the book just kinda seems like a blur

Let's guess which one Me Before You falls under xD

"Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time."

So, how to review a book that leaves you so crushed?

I'm gonna do my best! ^^

Note: This will probably will be full of spoilers. Instead of doing a spoiler section, I'm just going to leave spoilers in this. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK!

So Me Before You is about Louise and Will. Louise lost her job and starts working for Will and his family. Will is quadriplegic - he can not move anything below his 4/5th vertebrae. This leaves him in a wheelchair and having to have caretakers. He is depressed and knows one thing - when and how he wants to die. Louisa sets herself a mission with the help of her sister - to change Will's mind and to show him that life is worth living, even if he cannot live it as he used to.

This book was heartbreaking, addictive, and overall a nice read - I can see the hype around it!

I liked the way it was written! It was simple writing that was easy to understand, yet when different characters narrated their own parts, you could tell the narration was different. Each of the characters had an important part in the story, and each of them was amazing.

I feel like I could really understand some of the characters and their decisions. Louise is 26 and somewhat lost in her life - having lost her job, she doesn't really know what she wants to do with her future. When she meets Will and they finally start to get along, he opens her horizons and making her realize that she can do more with her life than just let it pass without seeing the world and having experiences like scuba diving. Her character development in this book was really amazing! She learned so much from Will.

Before his accident, Will was full of life - he would skydive, rock climb, travel the world, and had a generally active lifestyle. His accident changed him as a person. Incredibly sarcastic and pragmatic, he and Louise did not get along at first. Whenever she tried to help or to make his life brighter, he would shut her down with rude comments. But eventually, he opens up to her and keeps nudging her to try things she would never do otherwise - getting a tattoo, traveling or even going to a classical violin concert. And she slowly learns that she enjoys it. Yet his handicap leaves him unhappy with his life. He lost his friends, people look at him with pity, he can't go on the same adventures as he used to, and his daily routine his full of medicine and having to be helped. He once cut his wrists but was saved by the doctors. He promised his parents to stay alive for another 6 months, but at the end of that time, he arranged to go to Switzerland in an institute where people can undertake euthanasia. He feels like it's the one thing he can control in his life.

Lou comes from a family that's in the lower class. They are a fan of the fact that she works for a rich family - they need the money she can make, but eventually grow to like Will as a person as well. Her sister is really helpful for her situation as a helper.

Will's family is quite rich, yet has many problems. His sister is overly protective of him, and his father practically sees him as a nuisance.

I loved the part when they were at the wedding and they danced together.

I loved the part when Lou was choosing a dress and Will and Nathan were being fashion critics

I loved the part when Will gave her the stripey bumblebee stockings for her birthday

I just really really enjoyed the little moments they had that made both of them smile.

One thing that surprised me is that although I cried in the end when they said goodbye, and with the letter he left her, it didn't hit me as much as I thought it would. I think it's because the hype around it is for the fact that it is a book that will make you cry. I think that just because I was expecting to cry, I didn't... Does that even make sense?

I really liked the message of spreading your wings and living - that was an amazing message! I just had a harder time with the idea that life as someone in a wheelchair withe quadriplegia was so awful that the only thing to do was to... stop.

Overall, I really liked this book! It was so sweet in so many ways and crushed me in the end. I'm giving it a 5/5! :D Even tough there was an idea I didn't like so much, it was somewhat understandable, and there were other things that covered for it :)

Have you read Me Before You? What did you think of it? Let me know! :D

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

I got a signed copy (!) from a special Gemina box by The YA Chronicles! I've been waiting for this book since Illuminae came out last year and I absolutely loved it! *-*

"Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna's social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the space station Heimdall. Hanna is the station captain's pampered daughter, Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. Little do they know that Kady grant and the Hypatia are headed to Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. Soon, Hanna and Nik aren't just fighting for their own survival. The fate of everyone on the Hypatia - and possibly in the known universe - is in their hands.

But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.

So I was somewhat expecting Gemina to start off at the end of Illuminae. After all, Illuminae ends with (highlight) "Now run", so in my mind it made sense for it to start off with Kazy and Ezra back on Hypatia.

Well I was wrong!

Gemina is focused on a new set of characters. You have Hanna, who is the captain's daughter. She's popular, hosts lots of parties, gets what she wants, does drugs, etc.. (a person I would not get along with, basically). You also have Nik. His family is a part of the House of Knives, a crime group. He has tattoos representing his deeds, is openly flirty, deals a drug made from a certain worm, and is somewhat reluctant towards being a part of the House of Knives for much longer. Nik is basically Hanna's drug dealer until they are forced to work together to help the entire Heimdall crew from disaster.

Although I doubt I would like these characters as people in real life, they were fantastic chraracters! They were super well written, nicely developed with flaws and strengths, and definite personality traits. They worked really well together (although not as well as Kady and Ezra, in my opinion! ^^)

There are two main side characters. Jax, Hanna's boyfriend, and Ella, Nik's cousin. I really loved Ella's character, she was probably my favorite in the book! She was sassy and rude, despite being chair-ridden due to a disease she had when she was young. She is known as 'little spider', due to her ability to hack the web.

Jax... he's a jerk. I'll leave it at that.

Oh! I was SO happy that AIDAN was a major part of this story! The artificial intelligence unit is one of my favorite 'characters' - It is sarcastic yet innocent at the same time, almost like a super-smart child. I loved how AIDAN at times would basically cut whoever was narrating the video recordings. It said

"No.

Much as Analyst ID 7213-0089-DN can be relied upon

to transcribe murders in lavatory stalls,

or the executions of innocent plastic birds,

this quite unthinkable,

almost incomprehensible

moment

cannot be left to his questionable narrative talents.

It would be irresponsible to allow it."

AIDAN is way too aware that it is smart, haahaha XD

The plot of this book develops in a similar way to Illuminae - basically all things turn into chaos! The way the story is told - through instant messaging or transcripts was perfect. It makes for a fast read and an incredible mindscape. It really contributes to the story! Throught the book there are also illustrations by Marie Lu that give a less 'electronic' impression of the story. The illustrations are Hanna's drawings in her diary, and they bring another dimension to her personality - she might be the popular one, but she still has a mind of her own and secrets she keeps.

So the people in Gemina have a very different problem than those in Illuminae. Whereas Illuminae's group was threatened by a disease and a physcho AI system, the people on the Heimdall are faced with a murderous group of BeiTech workers, and with huge worm-like creatures that would basically eat people... not the nicest attack!

This book also deals with the concept of the Multiverse - the theory that for every decision you make or don't make, a new universe is created in parallel in which you made the choice you didn't make. Basically, the Heimdall is a ship capable of making wormholes to another parallel universe. It was a key player in the evacuation of Kerenza.

(highlight)

So it's probably no surprise to you that since the concept of multiverses are covered in a sci-fi context, more than one universe would be present, right? I LOVED those parts, when the two would interract! It was done so well, especially when Universe A Hanna and universe B Nik were each talking with AIDAN at the same time, and were in the same situation, in which everything they did was practically mirrored in the other person's actions. SO COOL!

The emotions in this book... oof it was hard sometimes! You can really feel what the characters are going through. I guess that's one of the benefits of having direct speech as one of the ways this was written out.

I have to get going, I'm sorry this review is such a mess! (I'll try fixing it later, it's just my mind is still going a million miles per hour with what happened at the end of the book!)

I'm giving this a 4.5/5 feathers! Incredible sequel, and now I'm kinda dying for book 3!!!